The IMAM Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (IMAM) in Dearborn, Michigan is a non-profit organization that serves as the North American liaison office of one of Iraq’s most influential Shiite clerics, Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani [1] [2]. In addition to serving as a liason office, IMAM offers prayer services and Islamic educational services [3]. It is devoted to building a strong Shiite community in North America.
IMAM has associations with U.S. Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) launched a nationwide mosque census project; IMAM was one of the named sponsors of the project [4].
IMAM joined alongside ISNA as an amicus appellant opposing NYPD surveillance programs [5]. IMAM has released joint statements on Iraq with ISNA [6], as well as with the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) [7].
According to an article in FrontPage Mag, Mohamad al-Halabi served as head of IMAM’s Education and Research Department. FrontPage Mag noted al-Halabi’s sympathies and possible ties to Hezbollah, as well as his sympathies for Louis Farrakhan, who he describes as a “brave one.” [8]
In 2010, al-Halabi posted on his Facebook page (in Arabic), a piece detailing his experiences in Lebanon in 1982 following Israel’s invasion after repeated attacks by the Palestinian Liberation Organization: “We stood in line in front of the people from recruitment for training, in order to defend Lebanon after the invasion of Beirut by the Israeli enemy …. When we were asked, we had one answer: ‘We want to fight, and we want to liberate Lebanon and Palestine. We want to die with dignity.” [9]
Sources:
[1] I.M.A.M. Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya website, “About Us,” https://www.imam-us.org/about-us/ (Accessed June 6, 2018)
[2] CNN Library, “Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Fast Facts,” CNN, July 19, 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/meast/grand-ayatollah-ali-al-sistani-fast-facts/index.html
[3] Associated Press, “U.S. Shiites tentatively buy into American citizenship, culture,” Cleveland.com, January 17, 2010, https://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/01/us_shiites_tentatively_buy_int.html
[4] Press Release, “CAIR, ISNA to Announce Nationwide Mosque Census Project,” Council on American-Islamic Relations, June 10, 2008, https://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/3042-cair-isna-to-announce-nationwide-mosque-census-project.html
[5] “Hassan v. City of New York: NYPD Agrees to Landmark Settlement,” https://www.muslimadvocates.org/endspying/ (Accessed June 6, 2018)
[6] “The Joint Statement on the Crisis in Iraq By ISNA & IMAM Organization,” Anjuman e Ahle Bayt Zainabiya Imambargah, June 21, 2014, https://www.zainabiyastl.org/?page_id=708
[7] “MPAC Condemns Bombing of Shi’a Shrine in Iraq,” Muslim Public Affairs Council, February 22, 2006, https://www.mpac.org/programs/hate-crime-prevention/mpac-condemns-bombing-of-shia-shrine-in-iraq.php
[8] Kaufman, Joe, “Hezbollah Imam is Father of US Marine,” FrontPage Mag, June 2, 2015, https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/257823/hezbollah-imam-father-us-marine-joe-kaufman
[9] Photobucket, Screenshot, Uploaded by kaufmanforcongress, photobucket.com/gallery/user/kaufmanforcongress/media/cGF0aDpBSUNGL01vaGFtYWRfQWwtSGFsYWJpX3N0YXRlbWVudF9yZV9MZWJhbm9uX3JlY3J1aXRtZW50LmpwZw==/?ref=